“America’s Got Talent” Recap: 10 Acts Perform for $1 Million Prize in Final Showcase
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Eric Liebowitz/NBC(NE WYORK) — The final live performance show of the current America’s Got Talent season took place on Tuesday night, featuring the final 10 acts hoping to win the $1 million prize and a chance to be a headline act in Las Vegas.
Howard Stern, Howie Mandel, Mel B and Heidi Klum were treated to performances from singers, magicians, comedians and a freestanding ladder acrobat, all introduced by host Nick Cannon.
America’s votes will decide who moves on and who goes home. The result will be announced during Wednesday’s live show on NBC.
Here’s a rundown of the final performances:
First up was mentalist Oz Pearlman, who promised a trick so amazing that he asked judges to swear on someone important in their lives that they were not in on it. He then had them sit on chairs covered with black sheets set up on stage in any order they desired. Next, he had them each pick a numbered envelope. Each opened up their envelope to reveal different colored pieces of paper with an “X.” Pearlman was left with a picture of himself. Afterwards, the chairs were uncovered to reveal they matched the colors of the papers each judge was holding. For the grand finale, Oz turned over the paper he was holding to reveal all the names of the people the judges swore on earlier. Howie and Mel B both had nothing to say except “amazing.” “Oz my God,” added Heidi.
Freestanding ladder acrobat Uzeyer Novruzov, still hurting from the injury he suffered after falling from a ladder during last week’s semifinals, offered a less-than-stellar performance. Stern summed up the judges’ feelings by noting that Uzeyer was “a great athlete who could not perform tonight,” but gave us “what he had.”
Country singer Benton Blount chose One Direction’s “Story of My Life” for his final performance. Howard declared Blount “looked like a star,” in spite of a shaky start to the song. Heidi, Mel B and Howie all praised the singer’s “likeability,” with Howie adding that Blount, who has a shaved head and bushy beard, looked like 1D’s “Harry Stiles with his head on upside down.”
Stand-up comic Gary Vider riffed on the Kardashians, Ryan Gosling, relationships and his Jewish faith. Mandel dubbed the funnyman “the new Woody Allen.” Mel B praised him for being “consistent.” Stern called Vider “a terrific comedian.” Even Klum, who hasn’t always been a fan of Gary’s humor, said she was glad to see him in the finals.
Comic magician Piff the Magic Dragon pretended to shoot his dog, Mr. Piffles, out of a cannon, then reappear with a twenty-dollar bill Piff took from Howie and a ring borrowed from Heidi. Mel B offered her support for Piff, noting he was “silly and funny.” Howard said he was a fan of the magician, but didn’t think he gave his strongest performance on Tuesday. Howie told Piff he faced a tough road with all of the other comedians in the competition.
Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin reintroduced a couple of characters from past performances, Sam and a baby, and an old man named Albert. Mandel loved the act, but noted the similarity in his voices. Stern disagreed, calling Zerdin “a master at work.” Klum, pointing out the difficulty in playing four characters at the same time, declared Zerdin “pulled it off.” Mel B. applauded the ventriloquist for being “a well-polished act.”
R&B duo The CraigLewis Band performed Madcon’s “Beggin’” for their final performance and brought all four judges to their feet. Howard declared the guys “brought the show to a new level.” Heidi exclaimed the performance was “so much fun.” Mel B said they “brought the house down.”
Next up was magician Derek Hughes, who performed his version of a classic illusion in which a piece of rope is cut in two and magically put back together. Stern was disappointed with the performance, calling it “underwhelming.” Mandel agreed, noting he expected “something epic” for the finale and didn’t think Hughes delivered on that” Mel B agreed, noting the performance “fell flat.”
Steve Starr The Professional Regurgitator swallowed five thumbtacks, followed by a magnet, and asked the judges to choose how many of them he should bring back up with the magnet. Starr then swallowed lighter fluid, followed by a bottle of liquid soap, and brought the gas back up inside of a soap bubble. Heidi, noting she’d seen many acts on the show, but no one that could do what he can, declared Steve is a “million-dollar act.” Mel B called the act “brilliant.”
Stuttering comedian Drew Lynch closed out the show with more jokes that poked fun at his disability. Howard reiterated his past criticism that Lynch threw off his pacing by laughing at his own jokes. Howie, Mel B and Heidi declared the comedian has already won, regardless of Wednesday’s results.
The evening also included Flo Rida performing a medley of his songs, “My House” and “I Don’t Like It, I Love It.”
The winning act of season 10 will be crowned when NBC’s America’s Got Talent returns on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
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